Tag Archives: Citizens for Responsible Spending

Museum Block, Peoria County

Last chance to vote on museum changes

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A petition drive was launched today by Citizens for Responsible Spending, County Board members Brad Harding and Merle Widmer, and At-Large City Councilman Gary Sandberg. It’s an effort to allow Peoria County residents the opportunity to vote on whether or not to issue $41 million in general obligation bonds to construct the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Why? Because things have changed since April 2009 when the revenue to pay for the bonds was approved by the voters. Back then, we were promised they would issue revenue bonds, so as to limit the exposure of Peoria County taxpayers and protect our general sales tax receipts. Now they’re trying to issue general obligation bonds. Back then, they made it very clear there was going to be an IMAX Theater — the contract was just sitting on their desk waiting to be signed as soon as the referendum passed! Now they say IMAX isn’t compatible with their mission. Back then, the County assured us that they would insist that all the private financing be raised and in hand before construction would begin. Now they’re planning to start construction before the private money is raised, before vital grant money is awarded, before they own the land, before the bonds are issued, before the bond hearing is held, and even before Caterpillar has voted on the redevelopment agreement.

In short, the County has betrayed the trust of the Peoria County taxpayers. They’ve reneged on their promises. They’ve broken their word. Peoria County residents deserve better.

The last available option to residents is to gather signatures to put the museum funding on the ballot so we can vote on their real plan, not the bill of goods we were sold in the Spring of 2009.

For more information, or to get involved, please go to BlocktheBonds.com.

Museum Block, Peoria County

How are those IMAX negotiations coming?

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During the run up to last April’s referendum, I talked to many people who were going to vote in favor of the museum tax. One of the big selling features for many of them was the proposed IMAX theater that would be included as part of the package. The museum group wasn’t shy about touting the IMAX. They included it by name on their marketing materials. When Citizens for Responsible Spending pointed out that the museum group had no contract with IMAX, museum officials defended their use of the IMAX brand name and explained that they couldn’t sign a contract until the referendum passed, but that they had a contract sitting on their desks ready to sign.

It’s now been ten months, and there is still no signed contract with IMAX. More tellingly, museum officials have stopped using the IMAX brand name. In their presentation to the Peoria County Board last Thursday, it was consistently referred to as a “large screen theater” or a “giant screen theater.” When board member Brad Harding asked if it was an IMAX or a large screen theater, Lakeview’s chairman of the board stated that they can’t use the IMAX brand name because they don’t have a contract signed with IMAX yet. He did say they were still negotiating with IMAX, however.

I sincerely hope that the IMAX negotiations are successful. Because if there is no IMAX, it will be one of the biggest bait-and-switch swindles ever propagated on Peoria taxpayers.

Museum Block, Peoria County

Museum looks to meet private shortfall with public funds

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The latest town hall meeting on the county sales tax referendum took place tonight at Dunlap Valley Middle School. The presenters were Brad McMillan for the museum, Erik Bush for the county, and Karrie Alms for Citizens for Responsible Spending. I was pleased to see that tonight’s meeting was a balanced presentation, pro and con. Kudos to the county for now allowing both sides a seat at the table.

While most of the evening was filled with no new information, there was one significant development. As you may know, the museum has set separate goals for private and public funding. The sales tax is supposed to plug the gap in public funding, but there is still an $11 million shortfall on the private funding side. At just about every meeting, the question is raised as to how the museum group plans to close that $11 million private funding gap. And the answer has always been that they’ve gotten a commitment from the CEO Roundtable to raise $8 million of it, and that they’re confident that people will come out of the wings to support the project once they know the public funding is in place. Sounds far-fetched to me for various reasons, but I don’t want to digress on that right now.

What we learned tonight is that they are also trying to plug that gap with (perhaps not surprisingly) more public money from state and federal sources. Mr. McMillan said the group is working with state senators Risinger and Koehler, as well as Congressman Schock to get grants, stimulus money, and any other funds the government might have lying around that could go toward the museum.

This indicates a bit of a shift in strategy on the museum’s part. It would appear that they are now changing their public/private funding goals. Why might they be doing this? Could it be because they don’t really believe they can make up that $11 million shortfall with private donations after all?

(P.S. On a side note, do you remember a comment on another post from “kcdad” where he said today’s schools are set up to teach children consumerism? Well, after seeing the brand new, state-of-the-art Dunlap Valley Middle School tonight, I’m inclined to agree with him. The building looks like a shopping mall inside and out, not an educational institution. Architecture and environment teach you something about what a community values; clearly the value here is consumerism.)

Museum Block

County sales tax opposition organized

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Although the Journal Star says, “Group rises to oppose museum,” the group — Citizens for Responsible Spending — actually rises simply to oppose a proposed county sales tax for public facilities. The .25% tax increase would double the county’s tax rate and would be used to fill a funding gap for a museum that hasn’t even raised all its private capital yet.

That’s right. Even if the public referendum passes and successfully closes the gap in the public funding portion of the museum’s financing plan, the museum group will still be $11 million short in private funding, according to their own website. That’s after six or seven years of fundraising, including high-profile efforts by current and former mayors to get more donors.

Has anyone in the museum group ever entertained the notion that maybe — just maybe — the problem isn’t a fundraising problem? That maybe the problem is that their museum plan is too expensive, too inefficient, and unsustainable?